


Calm before the Storm

by gallopingcowgirl



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Canon Related, Character Study, Deleted Scenes, Gen, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29741502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallopingcowgirl/pseuds/gallopingcowgirl
Summary: An imagined deleted scene in Frozen 2, taking place after the spirits abandon Arendelle and before the trio leaves the kingdom. A gentle exploration of Elsa's thoughts at leaving the castle for what she doesn't know is the last time.
Kudos: 2





	Calm before the Storm

_Author’s note: Just a ‘deleted scene’ as to what I feel might have happened in the time between everyone getting kicked out of Arendelle and Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff riding away in the wagon in Frozen 2. Starts with the Troll scene. Nothing too crazy. More thoughts at the bottom._

**Calm before the Storm -**

_Where had Kristoff gotten blankets to hand out?_ Even as the question flitted though Anna’s head, she appreciated his thoughtfulness. The townsfolk did as well.

They were lucky this had not happened later in the evening- or later in the season. It appeared only the smallest children were still in their nightdresses. Some of the adults shivered in the late autumn air, but no one seemed overly upset. After all, the last time their kingdom faced major hardship had been when summer became winter three years ago. This was nothing compared to that.

Anna rounded on her sister. There was something the blond wasn’t telling her.

“Ok I don’t understand. You’ve been hearing a voice, and you didn’t think to tell me?”

Elsa looked down at the ground, crossing her arms in front of her. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

“We made a promise not to shut each other out.” Elsa looked up to meet her sister’s eyes and Anna continued, “Just tell me what’s going on.” Elsa glanced away, took a steadying breath, and let her words tumble out.

“I woke the magical spirits of the enchanted forest.” She bit her lip, waiting.

Anna blinked twice. “Ok, that’s definitely not what I thought we were going to say… Wait the enchanted forest?! The one Father warned us about?”

“Yes,” Elsa nodded sadly.

“Why would you do that?”

“Because of _the voice_.” Elsa finally met her sister’s gaze once more. Her voice was pleading. “I know it sounds crazy, but I believe whoever is calling me… is good.”

“How can you say that? Look at our kingdom.”

“I know. It’s just that my magic can feel it. _I_ can feel it.” Elsa needed her sister to understand. It was hard to explain, but if Anna could believe that she was still worth saving when she’d condemned their kingdom to an icy fate before, then now should be no different.

“OK,” Anna admitted. She reached out to place a confirming hand on her sister’s shoulder but drew back as the earth stook beneath her feet. “Oh no- what now?”

Her question was answered almost instantly as the road into the mountains filled with rolling stones. Kristoff watched them approach. Even after living most of his life with them, he’d never known the trolls to venture this far from their knoll.

He voiced his confusion. “The trolls?” In response, one of them leaped into the air, aiming perfectly for his outstretched arms, calling out his name in glee.

The group stopped short of the townsfolk, but a single moss-covered rock rolled to Elsa and Anna and landed as gracefully as an ancient troll could. They weren’t sure if the bow he took was for them or to steady himself, but it didn’t matter. Trolls were olden creatures of magic and myth; they did not need to bow to anyone.

Anna gave him a surprised smile. “Pabbie!”

“Never a dull moment with you two.” He looked between them as he spoke, his tone reminiscent of their father’s gentle scolding when they’d been caught making snowmen in the ballroom after bedtime. The troll’s ancient eyes turned to the blond sister. “I hope you’re prepared for what you’ve done Elsa. Angry magical spirits are not for the faint of heart.”

Elsa bit her lip, fighting back a look of shame that flitted over her face. Anna stepped forward, suddenly protective. Elsa was acting strange, and if she wouldn’t tell her why, she would find out herself. “Why are they angry? What does all this have to do with Arendelle?”

“Let me see what I can see.” Pabbie lifted his stone arms and an aurora of magic filled the air between them. Elsa recalled the magic and hopped this time she would like what it had to say; Anna looked on, awestruck.

The troll spoke as the images shifted. “The past is not what it seems.” Elsa and Anna turned to each other, unsure how to react. “A wrong demands to be righted. Arendelle is not safe.” Elsa clenched her fists, her mind made up after hearing this new information. She was no stranger to prophecy. Pabbie continued with a final unnerving line, “The truth must be found. Without it- I see no future.”

“No future?” Anna asked, her breath catching. As if sensing her distress, Kristoff ambled over to the group. Pabbie let out a sigh.

“When one can see no future, all one can do is the next right thing.”

Else nodded, hearing the logic in his words. A plan formed in her mind. She spoke aloud to solidify her thoughts, turning from the group.

“The next right thing, is for me to go the enchanted forest and find that voice.” With each word her voice grew more determined. She spun. “Kristoff, can I borrow your wagon? And Sven?”

Kristoff stepped back. “I’m not very comfortable with the idea of that.” Anna looked to Kristoff, mind spinning as she tried to keep up. She rounded on her sister.

“You are not going alone.”

Elsa met her worry with fierce determination. She held up her hands to soften the tone she knew her voice would take on if left unchecked. “Anna, no. I have my powers to protect me- you don’t.”

“Excuse me- I climbed the North Mountain, survived a frozen heart, and saved you from my ex-boyfriend. And I did it all without powers, so- you know. I’m coming.”

Before Elsa could come up with a reasonable excuse to keep her sister from following her, Kristoff spoke up, daring her to deny them both.

“Me too, I’ll drive.”

From amongst the townsfolk, Olaf called out, “I’ll bring the snacks!” Elsa took a breath, a smile creeping onto her lips. It was decided then; she had no choice but to accept their help.

“I’ll look after your people,” Pabbie said.

Anna nodded, but her tone held the worry she did not think to hide. “Please make sure they stay out of the kingdom until we return.” Kristoff put an arm around her. She leaned into it.

The troll gave the queen and princess a bow as he promised, “Of course.” His word was good enough for Elsa.

“Let’s let them know,” she said and stepped out of earshot. Pabbie waved Anna closer before she could follow.

“Anna. I’m worried for her. We have always feared Elsa’s powers were too much for this world. Now- we must pray they are enough.” Anna’s shoulders sagged with his admission and she looked away for a moment. Elsa could be frustrating when she had a goal, but so could she. She took a breath and meet the troll’s gaze.

“I won’t let anything happen to her.” It was a big promise, but she’d kept it before. Hans’ hadn’t killed her sister, she hadn’t retreated to her room to never been seen again when ruling a kingdom was too hard, and she hadn’t fallen off the clock tower that one time. If Elsa wouldn’t watch out for herself, then she would. Anna turned to follow after her sister.

The gentle conversations died down once Elsa took her place before her kingdom. Even dressed in her nightgown, her authority was clear and respected. Anna stood at her side.

Knowing how nervous her sister could be in private, it never seemed to show in public like this. She envied her ability to appear calm, even though she knew it stemmed from hiding away a part of herself. Anna squared her shoulders and stood up straighter.

“Everyone! My sister and I are going to fix this. I’m leaving Pabbie in charge while we’re gone. Please stay out of the kingdom until we return.”

Several of the townsfolk turned to the gathered trolls; a few of the younger ones waved. Elsa gave them no time to question her decision- not that anyone would, and she turned on her heel and took a step towards the castle. She could only hope that the spirits would allow them to return for a short time.

One of the castle servants approached, dropping into a quick curtsey. “Your majesty. You’re not thinking of going off in your nightgowns?” The woman gave Kristoff and Anna a sideways glance.

The ice seller’s acceptance at the palace had never been questioned. It was obvious how happy he made Anna, and everyone knew what happened to the last man to try and come between the sisters. Though, Hans was still the butt of plenty of party jokes, much to Anna’s chagrin.

“Thank you for your concern. We won’t be traveling in these,” Elsa explained. Her smile was gentle, even as she wrung her hands. The servant nodded and let her be. The queen gave her people one last brave look before heading towards the castle. Anna linked their arms, letting Kristoff follow with Sven.

The town and castle were silent, the gates still wide open to ease the evacuation. The moonlight caught on Elsa’s ice arches that decorated the courtyard. The flagpole stood empty, the Arendelle flag ripped free when the wind spirit fled. Kristoff kicked at the forgotten ice shards emblazoned with elemental symbols. It was warm enough that they should have started to melt. They were still as solid as stone.

Anna broke the heavy silence. “It’s eerie like this.”

“It’s almost like everything is dead.” Kristoff’s observation was spot on. Nothing stirred in the darkness. Navigating the castle without candle-flame would be interesting if the servants had drawn all the corridor curtains for the evening.

“Do you think we’ll need to fight off hordes of undead draugr?” Olaff asked, his perfectly chipper tone suggesting the idea was an adventure in itself and not something that worried him all that much.

“No Olaff. There are no monsters in the castle.” Anna smiled. The snowman shrugged and skipped ahead, but Elsa shuddered. The word _monster_ brought back memories of her coronation day. Even if the monster turned out not to be her in the end, the accusation still lingered. She clenched her fists.

“You’re not worried about draugr are you? You know they’re not real- right?” Anna’s question was whispered, and Elsa could only smile in response.

“No Anna, they aren’t real. I was just thinking about real monsters.”

“Elsa-”

“Olaf, go with Kristoff and Sven to get the wagon and supplies ready. We’ll join you out here.”

The snowman did as he was told, but Kristoff frowned. “Wait, I’m not going out in those woods dressed like this.” He pulled at the sleeve on his robe. “I’ll freeze!” His eyes widened as he looked between the sisters, unsure who he might have offended more. “Not that freezing is a bad thing- I just-”

“Kristoff, don’t worry. I’ll grab your clothes.” Anna offered, dropping her sister’s arm. Her words effectively stopped his stuttering but brought a whole new range of emotions to his face.

“I’d prefer to get them myself.”

“Come on. I know where your room is. It’s not _that_ messy.”

Elsa stepped towards the castle, pushing the conversation from her mind. Just because she approved of him did not mean she was ready to imagine _why_ Anna had visited his rooms at all, especially if he was in them. The castle was huge, and if anyone knew the place by heart, it was her little sister. She called over her shoulder.

“We’re leaving when I get back, nightclothes or no!” Her words were enough to snap the others into motion. Anna scurried to her side and together they pushed the castle doors open and ascended the grand staircase. The curtains were still wide open, so the castle only appeared sleeping as it was bathed in the silver moonlight. The carpets muffled their slippered steps until Elsa stopped in front of her door.

She paused, fingers on the doorknob. It was the same room she had used since childhood; the same one she’d slept in hours ago. But as much as she knew exactly what she’d find, she paused. Anna attempted to open the door for her, but Elsa closed her hand around the door handle, blocking her sister.

“Go grab your own things,” the queen smiled. “It’ll be faster that way.” Anna gave her sister a look but turned to her own room without complaint. She vanished.

The door, silent as always, allowed Elsa in without betraying her hesitation. Just as she feared, the bedroom already felt different: like it was less _hers_ somehow. She straightened the rumpled bedsheets, glanced over to the window, and listened. The one time she wanted to hear the voice, it was silent. She shuddered, but not from the chill the lack of hearth’s fire brought. No. It was never too cold for her. Never.

Her wardrobe beckoned, reminding her why she and Anna risked angering the spirits further by returning to the castle at all. Throwing wide the doors, a select set of dresses met her eyes. Elsa frowned. A dress would do her little good in the enchanted forest. She smoothed the fabric of her nightgown down over her sides, the magical ice overlay coming to life under her fingers.

Her ice gown responded in kind with its own sparkle independent of the shifting moonlight. The blue dress was her only full creation, created out of sheer desperation to embrace her powers, to embrace what she _could_ do over what she _had_ to do. None of the others, not her holiday dress, her purple harvest dress, or even the nightgown she wore now were fully crafted from ice like that one.

The town had embraced their magical queen, but the royal seamstress still needed work, so she settled for embellishing actual fabric designs with her own handiwork. Elsa touched the fine velvet on her dark holiday dress, fingers skimming the diamond-like ice crystals along the bodice and in the fur neckline. They sparkled, reminding her of the floating spirit elements she’d seen only hours before.

She blinked, stepping back as her heart raced. The likeness faded as quickly as it appeared. She’d done this before she’d ever heard the voice call out to her. Had she known somehow? Elsa shook her head.

“Stop it.” Her voice grounded her firmly in the present silence. She pushed the dress to the back. Her eyes fell on the ice blue dress once more.

They would be going north to find the enchanted forest; they might even pass her castle. Frustrated, Elsa threw her head back and sighed. Anna was probably already packed and waiting in the wagon with Kristoff. She dove deeper into her wardrobe, searching.

There.

A long dark blue riding jacket emerged from the depths. It had been a gift for her coronation, very loosely styled after the cropped formal jackets she’d worn as a teenager over her dresses. She’d almost forgotten about it with everything happening in the last several years.

There was no matching underdress, but there were a pair of tall fitted boots. They were a rich blue dyed leather with hidden clasps at the back. The outfit had been intended as a riding set. It had obviously come from someone who knew what her birthright would have required of her but didn’t know why she would never need it.

Touching the smooth fabric and solid seamlines, she almost wished she’d had a use for it before now. But riding involved extended contact with a living being, and when one mistaken emotion could condemn anything to an icy death, it was decided soon after her isolation that riding was out of the question. That’s what carriages and ships were for. So, she didn’t ride the palace horses like Anna- as much as she wanted to, and she did not own the fitted breeches needed to complete this outfit.

Elsa let a smile grace her lips. When had something so simple stopped her before?

She tossed the jacket and boots onto her bed and undid her nightgown. The purple silk pooled on the floor at her feet. With a single touch and wave of her hand, blue tights climbed up her legs. The initial tingle faded once they set, accepting her skin’s warmth without melting. No one would be able to tell they had once been made of ice.

Elsa recalled the last time she’d altered Anna’s outfit with her ice magic. Even though the addition had only been in sparkling ice accents and stiffer petticoats to give the sunflower birthday dress some volume, Anna confided in her days later that the feeling of cool unmelting ice against her skin was too strange. She rewore the dress, but not the petticoats.

Eyeing the jacket again, Elsa immediately noted that the front dipped too low to wear without something under it. It seemed the tailor assumed she would want to be free of the high collars and the buttoned up look she’d sported her entire life once she became queen. Granted, he’d been correct, but probably not for the reason he thought.

An absentminded swipe of her hand up and across her shoulders brought more ice to life across her pale skin. It inched up her torso, over her chest, and faded just below her collarbones before covering her arms completely. The woven ice looked so much like the netting in Anna’s underskirts that it was not surprising no one noticed it wasn’t real fabric.

She held open her wardrobe door to examine her work in the mirror and moonlight. A simple flick of her wrist extended the gauzy ice of her top over her hips and into a sheer skirt, like a fitted slip. She truly did enjoy her dresses, so seeing her hips and the curve of her backside so exposed without something over them prompted the simple design change. With the flowy addition added, her otherwise skintight underlayer was complete.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Elsa pulled on the riding boots, her slender fingers leaving sparkling swirls in the leather. The color lightened at her touch, shifting from a deep midnight to the color of an icy sky. She had hoped for the same bright aqua color of her ice dress, but she had little control over the exact hue her magic imbued in different fabrics.

The boots fit well, especially without stockings like Anna preferred to wear. Her own feet never seemed to get cold, whereas Anna’s were like ice. They were especially uncomfortable to brush up against at night when Anna wanted to snuggle and fell asleep beside her. The memory made her pause for only a moment. She was still working on borrowed time.

Finally, she shrugged on the jacket and fastened the belt. Shifting the hue to match the rest of the now lighter fabrics, she admired the cut, realizing how long it truly was. It was almost an overdress verse simply a jacket.

It shouldn’t surprise her that the piece fit so well- she hadn’t grown physically in the past several years. But surprise her it did. The original had been styled for someone so different then she was, then who she had been. If anything, if fit better now.

She brushed the beadwork that covered her shoulders, the faux epaulets coming to life with a fresh dusting of ice. Straightening once more, she noted how the full outfit reminded her of her father in his formal military dress.

In a sense, the comparison fit. She might not be going into battle but dealing with angry spirits would not be a simple task if Pabbie’s magic was telling even a bit of the truth.

A gentle knock on the door told her she was taking too long.

“Coming!” Elsa called. She twisted the doorknob and Anna nearly tumbled into her. Her younger sister’s eyes widened in surprise. It seemed they both wanted to be better dressed for this adventure.

“Woah Elsa, you look-”

“Different?” The queen laughed, stealing Anna’s words. “So do you.” Anna touched her own woolen outfit self-consciously.

The princess was known amongst the castle for her limited wardrobe, preferring to wear the same comfortable dresses and outfits day in and day out until she dressed up for special events. Elsa had no issues with what her sister wore, so she never brought it up.

She only wondered why she’d had this new outfit made in the first place. The detailing on the dress was not something she could have thrown together in a short time. The maroon cape was gorgeous, but she’d never seen it before. The leather satchel at Anna’s side caught her attention. Anna answered before she could ask.

“Kristoff’s clothes. Did we need to take anything else?”

“That should be it-” Elsa stopped herself, spun, and scooped up their mother’s scarf from where she left it on her bed. She ran her hands over the impossibly soft fabric. “Now we can go.” Anna took Elsa’s hand as if they were children once more and retreated down the hallway.

Elsa glanced back over her shoulder, back to the room she’d spent most of her life locked away in. A darkness clouded her mind for a moment. She wondered what might happen if this trip didn’t go as planned. Would Anna keep her room as it was now? Would her gowns stay forever untouched in her wardrobe? Would her ice dress melt? She could not help but let her mind wander where it shouldn’t. Pabbie’s words were getting to her.

Anna noticed her distress. “It’ll be ok.” She gave her sister’s hand a squeeze. “We’ll do this together. Ok Elsa? We’ll be back soon. Nothing has to change.”

Elsa offered her sister a smile, hoping she kept her own worries from showing through this time. No matter how many times Anna promised, somehow- Elsa knew otherwise. This time was different.

The voice was just the start. Now that she had taken this first step, made this first choice- change would follow. She just hopped Anna was ready for it.

***

**Author’s Note** : Hopefully you enjoyed that little ‘deleted scene’ from my head-canon. I’ve probably made some leaps of logic here, but as long as it makes sense, I’m ok with it. Elsa is such a fun character to get into her head; she’s so emotional but tries so hard to keep everything under control and do everything herself even when she doesn’t need to.

I enjoy thinking way too much about the deeper bits of random story events and what parts are missing. I also recently reread an article about the design and animation of the costumes in Frozen 2 (b/c I’ve been trying to recreate it myself since I HATE all the versions you can buy). Anna and Elsa’s fashion choices in the movie are gorgeous, and I love to read other people’s interpretations on imagined reasons why. 

Otherwise, this story is cross posted between Fanfiction.net and ArchiveOfOurOwn, since I’m curious about reach and whatnot. So, don’t be too worried if you stumble upon this story on the other site and think it’s stolen. Its just me being a weirdo.

Thanks for Reading!


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